A little box for Bron

I started making this two days ago. My daughter is leaving for Argentina soon and I wanted to make her something special to take with her. Its a small jewelry box for that special ring or necklace.
I bought the raw box, carved a design into the side panels then painted it with fabric paint.
The reason I used fabric paint is that the material is porous and the paint is easily taken into the wood but leaves the desired colour on the surface. It also dries quickly. I then painted into the carved areas. I wanted to give it a pewter look so I layered it with different shades of a mixture of the same paints.
I then took little angels, snapped the loops off and stuck them into the carved out hollows of the pannels. It complimented the picture above and just rounded off the whole box.

Obviously, by this time, I'd compleated the pewter design. It was really small so I had to be very careful how I
worked it, especially the cutting out, trying not to leave jaggered edges. I used a thread picker to do some of the
detail! It didnt quite come out with the amount of detail I intended, but the gist of the picture can be seen and
understood...which is an angel, guiding children accross a bridge.

I dont think I had the right tools for this kind of work, but art is a matter of trial and error.
I'm having fun learning new things and experimenting.

The Final Product

Done! the pewter design fitter nicely on the lid...it came out better than I expected
The photos were taken in poor light so not much detail can be seen. Just as well I guess as there are lots of little mistakes all over the place.

On Love

This is my darling son, Liam. He's been kept very busy with his piping, having played in two events last week and will be playing in another this week and the week after that.

When I'm with my family, I'm always called to think about the things in this life that truely, truely matter.
My heart has been very sore over the last few days for various reasons. There are few people who I share these matters with and in fact prefer not to, as life, like everything, is transient...and so are the bad days and bad experiences ,and the way we deal with hurts, reacting to that hurt, may hurt us even more in the long run. Knee-jerk reactions to pain and hurts are never a good idea. Instead, quiet prayer and meditation..time to reflect...is not easy sometimes, but a wiser choice.

A little while ago, I was asked "why don't you ever react when people are rude or say or do hurtfull things to you"? Its simple. By reacting in the same way as you've been treated, you are feeding that persons need for conflict.
I was raised in humility, in a strict, Catholic Christian home, and fortunately, my childhood was such, that there was seldom voices raised in anger. Yes there are those who advocate that its best to 'say your mind', and they may have a point, but I believe more in "there's a time to speak and a time to keep quiet". Words can hurt for life, just as much as they can be your life's strength. We have a choice to make..speak out in anger or speak out in love. I choose the latter........ or at least, I try!!!

Of course, I absolutely DO pop my cork with people, my children, service providers..assertion is nessesary. But if you think of it, really, if you saw everyone just simply as 'human' with faults and failings and weaknesses, its so much easier to not get angry when they hurt you.
A friend of mine posted something once, "True love does not come by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly"

Over the last two days, I've asked myself, what de-sensitises someone to a) not take hurtfull behaviour personally and b) to be totally, seemingly oblivious, to hurting others. I really dont know and if its the one thing that I never want to happen to me, is be so effected by my own hurts and pain, that I fail to see it in others. Hmmmmmm, the University of Life has some work yet!!!!

Happinesss is something you choose. It doesn't matter what life throws at you, everything depends on how you see it!! I think I decided (even subconciously as a child) to see the good in people. What people decide to do with that, is for them and their concience. I can choose to spend each day counting up all the horrible people, experiences and things around me, or I can thank the Lord for every family member, every friend..every smile or gesture of thoughtfullness or kindness that I recieve. By giving it, one expects it and in turn, its pre-empted in a way, so that often, it WILL be recieved. If not, well, thats just humanity. Love IS like a bank account. The amount you deposit into the world is the amount which you will recieve one day...and God promises: "with interest"!

A matter of confidence

I have to submit 4 paintings and 4 drawings to UNISA for acceptance into the BVA degree. This is one which I'm going to submit.

I did this one a while ago and my children all love it...I've never been that wild about it. Its one of my more 'free -er' pieces and I really enjoyed doing it
This is the reference of the painting, the reproduction, which I've just compleated.
There is a market for this kind of work but it is a very select market and can never generate a good enough income for an artist. Besides the fact, there is obvious issues pertaining to the actual practice of 'art', expression and originality....all three, psychologically impact on both artist and purchaser. The human soul needs uniquiness because of it's being unique, likewise, human nature will seek this in decorating their nests!

Sheesh, finally!! I've signed it off and its my personal policy, never to work on it again once it has been....:o)..but I know that I'm bound to fiddle again. It needs a glaze, but I can only do this in a few months time. I'm just really tierd of working on this one now and need to complete a few others that have been hovering. Just looking at this photo, I can see a few faults and things that need attention. Usually, I do look at a photo before I sign a painting off as its a sure way of seeing what needs a little more work.

Other than my 'incomplete' pieces, I'm now working on something for a friend, also a first and very challenging in the draught phase.

Still have one or two little touch-ups to do to finish..detail needs a bit more attention and will need to find some copper patina to define it more, but this is pretty much how it looks. not too sure what to do with it. It actually went quicker than I thought. I would love to do a biiiiiiiiiig pewter piece one day

Here we go again..

This is what I'm working on at the moment. The last supper on a thick sheet of copper and brrrrrrrother..!!...its turning out to be a challenge. I started this a while ago but was (rightly) intimidated by the amount of work. I would like to finish it by tomorrow as all my pieces are getting time limits put on them. I'm distractable and a notorious procrastinator and by giving myself time limits, I'm trying to train myself to be less anal about 'perfecting' my creations, just be happily more 'creative' .
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